


Poena Vera: Painful Truths

by Lola_moon291



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Bruce is the world’s angriest simp, But canon for now, Canon Compliant, Canon compliant unless I add to it, Disaster Bruce Wayne, Ficlet, God Bruce is oblivious, Jeremiah is a Dick and he doesn’t mean well, Jerome’s only mentioned in passing/reference for now ;), Light Angst, Light Blasphemy if you squint, M/M, Post insanity gas Jeremiah, Pre-Slash, Short One Shot, Unless you like it then I’ll make it a series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:54:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27935813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lola_moon291/pseuds/Lola_moon291
Summary: My version of events from episode 4:20 of Gotham and what Bruce was thinking when his world came tumbling down. Literally. Or in other words, Jeremiah is insane, Jerome is dead, and Bruce is having an exceptionally awful day.Oh and, who really stays dead in Gotham anyway?
Relationships: Jeremiah Valeska & Bruce Wayne, Jeremiah Valeska/Bruce Wayne
Comments: 7
Kudos: 24





	Poena Vera: Painful Truths

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, this is my first Jeremiah/ Bruce centered fic, I hope you like it!
> 
> *edited*

Jeremiah Valeska is insane. 

Something Bruce now knows with an unfounded certainty. Jeremiah Valeska is insane he might always have been, though Bruce is quite sure he hadn’t, not before, before he’d brought him to the brink of death at Jerome’s hands, it wouldn’t be impossible to imagine Jerome finally succeeding in leading his other half into the descent of madness. Bruce would like to think he’d notice at much if Jeremiah had been planning this for the duration of their interactions, but he couldn’t be sure how long. How long had he been mad before relieving himself? A dark Phoenix risen from the ashes of his sanity. 

Bruce manages to only stare, dumbfounded, into a sea of cold, acidic green eyes that once held warmth, hope, a brilliance that Bruce couldn’t began to quantify, the memory, the absence of something so fundamentally him, makes the contents of Bruce’s stomach turn, the hairs on the back of his neck stand rod straight. How fucking long? 

The betrayal Bruce feels curls low in his belly, tendrils, a hollow feeling, as if a hole had been carved out of him, leaving him empty, exposed. Bruce thinks the heavy silence that’s fallen lasts a long while, seconds passing in a blur, acid green staring into him, he doesn’t even think to speak. Jeremiah breaks the silence.

“Behold, the true face of sanity.” The words flowed from Jeremiah’s red stained lips like a smooth poison. Bruce felt sick, dizzy, the rest of Jeremiah’s sick ideations passing in a fog. 

“Looks aren’t everything.”

“-Jerome’s obsessions and goals.”

“I will outdo everyone of them.” His stomach managed to sink further at the prospect of Jeremiah’s havoc.

“Jerome wanted to turn Gotham into a madhouse-“

“-truly build something-“ No, Jeremiah. No, stop, this is all wrong, you sound insane, you look- Bruce thought the words echoed in his mind falling just short of his tongue.

“-Tear down what is already there.” Bruce blinked back the sting pulling at the corners of his eyes pulling himself from his thoughts, the aching in his chest, as he stilled himself. 

“Jeremiah,” he finally croaked. “The gas worked.” He took a deep steadying breath. Hoping futilely that it would stir something, drag the old Jeremiah to the surface.

“Think about it. You want to carry out Jerome’s crazy plans sanely?” He begged a plea that would fall on deaf ears. The logical, intelligent part of Jeremiah he knew still remained, no matter how uncomfortable it made him, the basis of who Jeremiah was built on his capacity to understand. “What could be madder than that?” 

Jeremiah didn’t dwell on Bruce’s words, went on to tell him of Jerome’s mad ideas of his death, honey and eaten alive by corpse beetles, used it to try and rationalize his behavior. “Me if I wanna kill you, I’ll just do it.” He moved closer, placing his gun to Bruce’s temple. “I’ll shoot you in the head.” He said plainly as he cooked his gun. Bruce wanted to scream, fall to his knees and into a dreamless sleep, wake up to a normal world, a sane Jeremiah. He shut his eyes. That was never going to happen. Jeremiah was insane, had been since Jerome’s death, and now he was going to kill Bruce, surrounded by Jerome’s, no, his cult of maniacs.

“Simply and sanely.”

“Jeremiah.” The name fell of his lips like a prayer, and he wondered ideally if all Jeremiah ever truly wanted was to be worshipped, once upon a time, under the cover of artificial light in Jeremiah’s bunker, when they’d been friends, when Jeremiah had truly cared for him, he thinks, he might have, might have done anything Jeremiah has asked of him. He hopes to whatever god will listen, that now, after everything Jeremiah has done, he won’t.

“But I don’t want to kill you.” Jeremiah says like it’s a nicety, a kindness he’s so graciously providing, but god Bruce almost wishes he would.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, let me know if you want me to make it a series or if you’re more into it being an open ended one shot! As always I love you guys, till next time dolls ;)


End file.
